Guide / Props and samples
A prop should stay a prop when the scene ends.
The audience may need to believe a scene. Nobody outside the scene should have to guess whether its document is real.
A film crew may need a badge or a letter for a close shot. The object has a job inside the story. Outside that scene, its markings and context should still make clear that it was never issued by a real authority.
Before a prop leaves the set
Make its purpose easy to understand.
- 01
Keep the world invented
The name of an issuer, its symbols, and the place it serves should belong to the story.
- 02
Keep the context attached
Show that the object is a prop in the setting where people will see it.
- 03
Respect real people
A real person's face should never become a false claim about their identity or status.
- 04
Use a training space for training
Keep sample material out of real accounts, applications, and decisions.